In DaCosta’s iteration, which takes place three decades later, a visual artist named Anthony (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and his art gallery director girlfriend Brianna Teyonah Parris) learn about the legend of Candyman. Writer/director Bernard Rose’s 1992 Americanized version uses Barker’s foundational themes to critically examine class, gentrification, and race in Chicago’s Near North Side. The phrase, “Sweets to the Sweet,” piques Helen’s interest and she soon discovers that there’s something much more sinister behind this seemingly simple work of graffiti. (You can also listen to it here.) Like the 1992 movie, the story features a protagonist named Helen, who explores the urban legends connected to the abandoned flats of the Spector Street Estate. The story, “ The Forbidden,” can be found in Barker’s collection Books of Blood. His spine-tingling Candyman ranks right up there with Freddy Krueger, Jason, and Michael Myers.Īnd while I knew that the original Candyman took some inspiration from real Chicago news reports (reportedly “ They Came in Through the Bathroom Mirror” and “ Cause of Death” by journalist Steve Bogira), I was unaware that the film was adapted from a 1985 short story written by British author Clive Barker. Personally, I think Tony Todd should be considered a horror genre legend. I haven’t seen the new film yet, but I have watched the original, which scared the shit out of me as a young one with an impressionable mind (in a perversely delightful way). DaCosta also co-wrote the reboot, dubbed a “spiritual sequel,” with Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld. In its first weekend alone, the film made over $22 million. According to People, DaCosta is the first Black female director to debut at the top of the US box office. By now, you’ve probably seen the celebratory headlines: the new version of Candyman directed by Nia DaCosta, a reboot of the 1992 cult classic, has made cinematic history.

The forbidden by clive barker